The Detroit Pistons will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight in what has to be the tank game of the season.
The Pistons are just 3.5 games below the Cavaliers in the East and both teams will be looking for creative ways to lose this one in their quest for the worst record in the East.
The Pistons will be without the services of most of their veteran players, as they will have seven guys out with injury.
Pistons injury report for tomorrow against Cleveland ... yeah pic.twitter.com/3ZbWTdDEZF
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) April 18, 2021
This will mean another heavy dose of the youngsters, which will have fans of the Detroit Pistons happy, as we’ve been waiting all year for some of these lineups.
Dwane Casey has stubbornly refused to bench any of his veterans so the Pistons have taken it out of his control by sitting all of them.
I don’t blame Casey, as his job is to win games, not to placate fans who want to see teenage prospects, but in a rebuilding season where the Pistons want a top-five pick, why not go with the youth for the double win of development and potential draft odds?
Casey will have no choice tonight, so what will the starting lineup look like? Here’s my prediction.
Detroit Pistons: What will starting lineup be vs. Cleveland Cavaliers?
This is my prediction for tonight’s starting lineup vs. the Cavs:
PG: Killian Hayes
SG: Josh Jackson
SF: Saddiq Bey
PF: Tyler Cook
C: Isaiah Stewart
This is basically the same lineup we saw vs. the Thunder except that Sekou Doumbouya has been switched out for Tyler Cook.
If you are interested in seeing young guys, then this is the game for you, as the oldest guy in the starting lineup will be 24 and the oldest player coming off the bench will be “veteran” Jahlil Okafor, who is 25 years old.
We will also get a heavy dose of Frank Jackson, Saben Lee and even Deividas Sirvydis should get some run in this one with seven guys on the injury list.
In my opinion, we should be seeing some form of this starting five for the rest of the season, as guys like Mason Plumlee have nothing left to prove and the Pistons should start building chemistry between guys like Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey, who are currently the foundation of the team.
It will be a battle of the future tonight in Little Caesar’s Arena and when the Pistons are playing all of their young guys they win even when they lose.